Beyond the chaos, Super Smash Bros. Crusade CMC v9 is a testament to what a dedicated fandom can accomplish without a publisher. The Crusade modding scene has survived for over a decade, outlasting official Smash DLC cycles and even the shutdown of other fangames like Smash Bros. Flash 2’s online service.
CMC v9 has revitalized the discord tournaments. As of this writing, the #matchmaking channel sees over 500 messages per day. Weekly "Ironman" tournaments—where each player must choose a different character every round from the 200+ roster—are the new standard.
CMC v9 is not a mere incremental update. It’s a paradigm shift. Here are the headline features: super smash bros crusade cmc v9
One of the biggest complaints about Crusade and its CMC variants was the delay-based netcode. For v9, a separate team of modders backported a rudimentary rollback netcode solution. It’s not GGPO-level perfect, but for a GameMaker fan game, it’s revolutionary. Online lobbies now support up to 6 players with noticeably less input lag.
The wildcard entry. Miku is a "stance" character who cycles through songs (Rock, Pop, Techno) via her Down Special. Each song changes her Neutral Special (Soundwave) properties—Rock is a slow projectile, Pop is a multi-hit, Techno is a fast but weak laser. She is universally agreed to be the hardest character to master in v9. Beyond the chaos, Super Smash Bros
Before analyzing v9, it is crucial to understand what "CMC" stands for. The Community Mix Competition is a recurring event within the Crusade development cycle where fans submit character concepts, sprites, and movesets. The winning entries are officially coded into the game by the development team, creating a "mix" of official updates and community passion projects.
Each CMC builds upon the previous one. CMC v8 introduced fan favorites like Shadow the Hedgehog and Tails. CMC v9, however, has raised the stakes by not only adding new characters but by completely rebalancing the existing "Crusade" cast to match the new arrivals. Flash 2 ’s online service
While previous CMC versions added fan favorites like Shadow, Waluigi, or Goku, v9 targets the characters that official Smash would never touch:
In a surprising but welcomed pick, The Knight from Hollow Knight brings a methodical, air-focused playstyle. Unlike the game’s heavy hitters, The Knight relies on Nail pogoing (down air) to reset recovery and Vengeful Spirit as a chargeable projectile. His small hitbox makes him hard to hit, but his lightweight nature means he dies early.